Iran hails Obama victory

Tehran, Nov 5 (IANS) Iran Wednesday hailed the election of Barack Obama as the president of the US, saying the victory of the first black American dismantled the last racial barrier in the country’s politics.It said Obama’s victory signified the rejection by the American people of the era of incumbent George W. Bush, official IRNA news agency reported.

Democratic Illinois senator Obama Tuesday was elected as the 44th US president defeating ruling Republican contender John McCain.

The Democratic Party nominee, whose father was a Kenyan, made significant inroads in states that are known Republican strongholds and won Ohio which had sealed Bush’s victory in 2004.

Obama went on to win several other states that Bush carried four years ago, including Iowa, New Mexico and Virginia, which last voted for a Democratic presidential candidate in 1964.

Iran’s relations with US during the presidency of Bush has been greatly strained over Tehran’s nuclear programme that Washington argued was a cover for the Islamic country’s plan to make nuclear bombs.

Washington and Israel had often threatened that they would go to war to destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Iran on various forums had denied the charge insisting that its nuclear programme is directed to augment the country’s power generation.

The country had been under three diplomatic sanctions by the UN, mainly at the initiative of the US, for having refused to stop its nuclear activities.